Claude.ink is a singer-songwriter and musician, delivering a ruminative series with his sophomore album, Astro. The eighteen-track album is a collection of moments and thoughts, strung with thought-provoking melodies. The album follows the artist’s debut album, Inkwell, that was released last year (2022).

It opens with ‘Ana’, a song that recounts love through a retrospective lens of heartbreak. From a mellow acoustic pallet, it phases into rock frames with strident riffs and passionate vocals. ‘Parachute’ is designed to evoke a feeling of dazed clarity. With pensive melodies and melancholic themes, it has a powerful buoyancy that carries the listener.

‘Canadian Hotel’ and ‘Styrofoam’ have a distinct intimate setting, with warm and cozy blooms. Both the melodies and vocals are beautifully drenched in melodramatic swirls of emotion that draw us into a slumber.

‘Friday Dream’ and ‘Nothing at All’ form with bluesy guitar grooves that effervesce into smoky memories. In ‘Listen to the Rain’ the artist channels the nostalgia of the rain and infuses it into epiphanic melodic structures. There’s a loneliness to it that the listener can instantly resonate with.

‘Astro View’ has a bolstered rhythm that perfectly fits the ambiguous rock flavors in the track. The vocals carve out new spheres within this context. ‘Never Give it Up’ pops with funk, vibrant with guitar grooves and dance beats. It is progressively tempered with delightful synth ripples and smoky baritones.

‘Love Willing’ marks the beginning of the second half. With warm and uplifting melodies, Claude explores the emotion of sunsets. Its optimistic lyricism and fresh acoustic glints are incredibly hearty. Next up is ‘Sand’, an acoustic slow burn. The stream of consciousness delivery is colored with poetry and blues. ‘Pulp’ picks up the energy again with a tight percussive line. Within this beat dynamic, he creates a slower and more ruminative ambience with piano acoustics. Reconciling both with his vocals, the artist proves his master skill in sound design.

‘Mirage’ is a neo-soul, funk and jazz marvel. Its gradual melodic builds and boxy beat structure is reminiscent of FKJ. ‘Radio Silence’ is built with melodic dots that are dilated into a spectrum of melancholy by the vocals. It is truly inspired in how he manifests big emotions with minimalistic sonic quotients. ‘Sweetest Dream’ is strung with bright and surreal melodies that conceptualize the joy and amazement of the theme.

‘Heartbreaker’ ‘Shine’ and ‘Heaven Collapse’ conclude the album on three different notes, diverse in styles and emotions. All of them converging at the brink of love and heartbreak, liberating the building momentum of the album. Listen Now!

The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music!

You can listen to Astro by Claude.ink here –